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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27580595">Hope in A Forever Home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan'>ericsonclan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Everett Bunch [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Foster Care, Gen, Protective Siblings, Siblings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 22:02:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,341</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27580595</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Brody and Ruby continue to dream of finding their forever home but fate seems to oppose the siblings' wishes.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Brody &amp; Ruby (Walking Dead: Done Running)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Everett Bunch [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1988578</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Hope in A Forever Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>(by Linnea)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“I thought that would be it,” Brody whispered, her voice muffled against her knees that were pulled up to her chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ruby sat down next to her sister and put a comforting arm around her. “I know,” Ruby’s own face fell at the thought. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they had arrived at that house a year ago and met their foster parents, they really thought there was a chance. That it would become more than just another lost cause where they would get tossed back into the system. Yet here they were, one year later, and stuck back in foster care. Their belongings stuffed away in trash bags and their hopes crushed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was it because of us?” Brody lifted up her head and looked at her younger sister with blurry eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Ruby wrapped her arms around Brody with a tight hug. “They said they were moving and that…” Ruby took a deep breath, “And that they couldn’t take us with them.” Ruby wasn’t sure how much of her foster parents’ words she actually believed. Even if it was true that they couldn’t have taken them, the burning question always reappeared in both of the sisters' minds: Why not? Was there something wrong with them? It had taken a year of being in the system before they were even chosen by potential parents and now a year later they were stuck back at square one. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ruby?” Brody pulled back from the hug, looking directly into her sister’s eyes, “Do you think we’ll ever find it, our forever home?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ruby put on a brave smile and gave a huge nod. “Sure! We’ll find it no matter what. Heck, I bet our future parents are just out there waiting for us,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brody didn’t seem to fully buy it but she agreed anyway before rubbing at her eyes. “I’m sure they can’t wait to meet us!” Brody gave a weak smile, “Even if it's not right when we’re nine and ten,” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ruby gave a small chuckle. “Yeah, just watch. Before you know it we’ll get a new home.”</span>
</p><p>----</p><p>
  <span>Ruby’s words turned out to be true. It only took one month of being stuck in the system before new foster parents decided to give them a chance. Everything seemed to be going smoothly at the beginning. They had to share a room with Jessica, their new sister, but they didn’t mind. Jessica’s mom thought it would be best if Jessica had sisters so that she wouldn’t be lonely and Brody and Ruby couldn’t be happier at being given this chance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jessica was a very introverted girl, mainly keeping to herself and only looking up from her books when she wanted to talk. At first this hurt Brody and Ruby’s feelings but they soon got used to it. It was just nice to have a home, a warm bed and parents who were nice whenever they saw them, which was rarely throughout the week. Their schedule was pretty packed. The pair of sisters would mainly hang out together throughout the day, going to school and then playing in the backyard. It seemed like a nice, simple existence. After six months of being there Brody and Ruby were starting to believe they had finally found the right home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatcha want to do today, Brody?” Ruby walked alongside her sister, opening the back patio door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. I’m feeling a bit antsy today so maybe just hang out by the pool?” Brody mumbled, stopping to look around for Jessica who was nowhere to be found. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jessica is probably reading again, y’know how she is,” Ruby sat down by the pool and was soon joined by Brody. The sisters sat together, talking about random topics here and there while they let their feet kick in the pool water when Jessica strolled outside with her phone. The eleven year old looked at Brody and Ruby for a moment before sitting down in one of the nearby chairs. Lazily, Jessica grabbed the remote and pointed it towards the weatherproof TV that the family owned in their outdoor patio. When the TV buzzed to life, a news reporter was reporting a local unfortunate accident.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On highway 95 there was a horrible car crash where a family of five was found dead on site. Police are unsure who was responsible as it seemed to be a simple case of a hit and run-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jessica, can you change it?” Ruby’s voice shook, her eyes unwilling to make eye contact with her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jessica looked confused but agreed to it, changing the channel. Suddenly Brody sat up, her hands shaking violently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Brody,” Ruby carefully moved forward to her sister who backed away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ruby, I-” Brody didn’t finish that sentence; her breathing had become erratic. It felt like she couldn’t breathe. Her mind had been thrown back into the past on the day she and Ruby had lost their parents and she couldn’t seem to escape. A bead of sweat travelled down her face as she paced back and forth to try and calm herself down. Ruby was about to speak when the sound of metal scratching against the floor drew her attention to Jessica who looked worried.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong?” She moved forward to Brody.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, Jessica-” Ruby tried to warn her but it was too late. Jessica had placed a hand on Brody’s shoulder who lashed out, pushing Jessica back. Jessica stumbled backwards and lost her footing, falling hard on her arm before slipping into the pool. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brodys’ eyes widened when she realized what she had done. “Jessica!” Brody shook even more violently as she and Ruby helped Jessica out of the pool.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll call Mr. and Mrs. Stevens,” Ruby ran into the house and called Jessica’s parents who were furious at the news. When they returned home, Mr. Stevens helped Jessica into the car to take her to the hospital while Mrs. Stevens yelled at the sisters for what had happened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ruby tried to explain how things had gone, but Mrs. Stevens was too emotional to really hear it. Instead she left them alone at the house while she drove off to join her husband and Jessica at the hospital. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ruby and Brody sat in silence as the hours passed until they returned home. When Jessica entered the house with a cast on her arm, Ruby and Brody ran forward only for the girl to flinch. Mrs. Stevens looked down at them before guiding Jessica into her room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Later that week, a social worker came by to pick up Ruby and Brody. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens didn’t want to risk having them around Jessica anymore. Brody and Ruby grabbed their few belongings and after a two hour drive they were back at foster care. Thrown back into a room with nothing but each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as the doors closed, Brody let out an ugly sob, falling down to her knees. “I-I’m so sorry Ruby,” Brody covered her face with her hands. “It’s all my fault. I lost us our forever home because of my stupid panic attack. It’s just when I saw the news-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brody’s sentence was cut off by the warm embrace of her sister who tried her best to mask her tears. But Brody could feel the heat of them on her shirt. “It wasn’t your fault, it was an accident,” Ruby took a calming breath when she felt Brody trembling in her arms. The two sat in silence save for the sound of tears that escaped their eyes as they felt the weight of the foster system thrown back onto their shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>----</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was two months until they were given another chance. This time it was a single mom and her thirteen year old son named Bobby. The minute they arrived, Ruby and Brody could sense that something was off. It only took one night to figure out what it was: Bobby. It was clear that his mom adored Bobby with her whole heart, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it was something Bobby used to his advantage. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every day in the house was painful. Bobby constantly picked on Brody, overwhelming her with his screaming and roughhousing. Ruby tried to step in between them, her fiery side appearing when she would protect Brody. Bobby didn’t seem to care though. He knew as well as the two of them did that if they did anything even remotely mean to him he would get his mom to send them back into the system. So Brody and Ruby tried their best to get through day by day until four months had passed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, you!” Bobby yelled at Brody who flinched at his tone. She was already more on edge then usual; she had barely gotten any sleep last night. Memories from long ago haunted her dreams. When she went over to wake up Ruby she was already awake. It seemed like she’d had a rough night of nightmares as well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“B-b-bobby! I, umm,” Brody stumbled over her words while she slowly backed away from the bully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“B-b-bobby! I umm,” Bobby repeated Brody’s words in a mocking tone. “Shut up! I’m tired of you and that other stupid redhead being here,” His hand shot out and wrapped around Brody’s wrist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing?” Brody felt her panic rise within her. “Let go of me. Please.” Brody struggled but it only made the boy laugh more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re so stupid,” Bobby had a twisted smirk on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Ruby screamed, drawing Bobby’s attention just in time for her fist to connect with his jaw. It was a power punch that sent the thirteen year old flying backward, landing hard on his butt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit! You’re in so much trouble now,” Bobby hissed, his hand cradling the side of his face that was already starting to form a bruise. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you ever do something like that again, I’ll really kick your ass!” Ruby snapped back at him, tears pricking her eyes while she held onto her sister’s hand like a vice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Momma!” Bobby cried as he scrambled into the house. It only took seconds for his mom to come outside, a look of utter rage and hatred on her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I let you into my house out of the goodness of my heart and you bully my son!” She motioned back to Bobby who smiled at Ruby and Brody, a look that disappeared into fake sadness when his mom glanced back. “You hit him! I should’ve known that the foster system only breeds more rebels and violent kids like you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pulled out her phone, immediately dialing a number and putting it up to her ears. She had called the foster home, demanding that they take back Ruby and Brody this instant. The two sisters were dragged away once again, placed into a spot that seemed to be becoming their true “forever home” more and more each day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ruby sat on the floor when her body started shaking with the weight of her sobs. Tears poured down her face and a clear line of snot dribbled from her nose. “I did the right thing!” Ruby yelled into her knees. “I just want to protect you, but now I think I screwed up any chance we have at another foster parent.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brody sat down next to Ruby and gently wrapped her arms around her. “It’s okay as long as we have each other,” Brody whispered into her sister’s ear. “Maybe we’ll never have a forever home,” Brody let go of the hug and let her back hit the wall with a soft thud. “I heard from some of the older kids that they’re gonna just wait to age out of the system. It would be in...” Brody counted the years on her fingers, “Seven years for me, but then we’d be free from this,” Brody gestured at their empty, hollow room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ruby shook her head. “No, I want us to find a home, not just to get by,” Ruby wiped away angrily at her tears with a huff. “I still believe we can get it. I’m just going to be on my best behavior from here on out!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brody looked surprised by her sister’s declaration. “I will too,” she reached out her hand with her pinky extended.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ruby looked at Brody’s pinky with a warm smile before extending her own and interlocking them. “It’s a promise then!”</span>
</p><p>----</p><p>
  <span>The pair of sisters really did keep to their promise. Each of them tried to be on their best behavior in hopes that a foster parent would give them a chance. It didn’t work at first. Months passed before they were finally chosen again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But they soon realized that the household only wanted them for the money that they got from taking care of them. After a few months there, they were thrown into another household that seemed to only care about the same thing. It felt hopeless when they were back in the foster home, sleeping on the rickety old beds, just getting through day by day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Until four days after Brody’s thirteenth birthday when they were informed that there was another family that wanted to foster them. Brody and Ruby were both unsure about the next house. They sat quietly in the car, their hands intertwined while they looked out the window, watching the rolling scenery that flew by. It was a twenty minute drive there when the social worker opened the door for them. When they stepped out they both shielded their eyes from the sharp, bright sunlight. Once their eyes had readjusted they saw the house surrounded by a small front yard. Peeking out from the back of it was a half built treehouse with a sign that was hard to read from there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you two ready?” The social worker looked back at them. “I know it’s tough, but who knows. Maybe this will be your lucky break,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ruby and Brody shared a look. They doubted that was the truth, but they couldn’t give up yet. Forcing on smiles, they looked back at the worker. “We’re ready,”</span>
</p>
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